Research

This section will give you an overview of my research. It is wide ranging- from terrestrial caves to shipwrecks, effective publishing to professional ethics, technological theory to diving history, and much more! Scroll through the portfolio below to see my current projects.

Peter Campbell (MA 2009, East Carolina University) is underwater archaeologist for the Cave Archaeology Investigation & Research Network (CAIRN) and Archaeological Director-at-Large for the Albanian Center for Marine Research. He regularly consults as an archaeologist for projects, as well as with the media and public. As an EU and US citizen, Peter has led several international projects and he is a Federal Qualified Principal Investigator in maritime archaeology as well as member of the Register of Professional Archaeologists (RPA). Peter has over a decade of training and six years of professional archaeological experience. He currently holds permits for sites in several countries, including acting as PI or co-PI on six multiyear projects. Peter is experienced developing nonprofit and non-governmental organizations and working with public outreach or educational projects.

Peter is engaged in a wide range of projects, including recent work in Albania, Greece, Italy, Spain, and US. His research typically focuses on drawing qualitative inferences from quantitative data, such as using mass spectrometry or x-ray fluorescence to understand cultural exchange. Peter regular collaborates with professionals in a number of fields and sciences as well as tech developers and the public. He regularly presents results of research at professional and popular venues, as well as publications.

A wide range of topics interest me and my research reflects this. Recent research has focused on applying new technology to remote locations, including terrestrial and underwater sites. Working with CAIRN much of my research has been in difficult conditions- caves, sinkholes, and sites located in mountain ravines. Rapid and accurate data collection in these less-than-ideal conditions has led to several long term collaborative efforts.

The other side of fieldwork is post-processing and lab work, an area that has occupied a great deal of my time recently. I have explored using mass spectrometry for wood analysis, x-ray fluorescence for artifact analysis, and UV/IR photography for capturing details beyond the visible spectrum.

These tools help to gather information on social questions. Trained primarily as an anthropologist, I am heavily influenced by behavioral archaeology and currently working on articles about cultural identity and the nature of technological innovation.